1. Field of Art
The invention generally relates to video sharing over a network, and more specifically to displaying advertisements in shared videos.
2. Description of the Related Art
The online sharing of video content has developed into a worldwide phenomenon, supported by dozens of websites. On average, many thousands of videos are posted every day, and this number is increasing as the tools and opportunities for capturing video become easier to use and more widespread. Shared video content provides good opportunities to present advertising material to viewers along with the requested video content. Such advertisements can generate revenue for the video hosting site, the video content providers, or both.
In one conventional technique, advertisements are delivered with requested content by inserting advertisements in the video content window before or after playback of the requested content. For example, a viewer may receive 15-30 seconds of advertising content prior to playback of the video or following conclusion of the video. Alternatively, playback of the requested content may be temporarily interrupted to insert advertising content. Playback of the requested content is then resumed following the advertising time slot. In another conventional technique, advertising content is instead displayed separately from the requested video content. For example, an advertisement may be displayed in a banner placed near the video player, or in a popup window. However, viewers often perceive such advertisements as objectionable because they are distracting to the viewer and prevent the viewer from enjoying the requested content.